Phoebe
by drewsapaloosa
Summary: Meet Phoebe, Eli Goldsworthy's younger, know-it-all sister. AU. Pre-Degrassi. Oneshot.


Phoebe's strawberry-blond hair bounced along her back as I pushed her higher, higher, and higher in the swing until gravity finally pulled her back down. I repeated this, her piercing giggles making heads turn in the park. I took my arm and pulled her back, stopping the swing.

"Eli-" Her voice rang out, she pounced off the swing, attacking my leg. She was about up to above my stomach now, it was impressive. Her oceany blue eyes poked through her circular, gold-framed glasses and she pouted. Her little arms snaked warmly around my legs and she buried her face into my jacket. She was cold. I shook off my dark sweater and hung the hood off her head.

"There you go," I told her, prying her off my leg and pushing her arms through the much-larger arm holes.

"Thank you," She said, a thoughtful smile lightening my entire mood.

"No problem, Pheebs." I nodded, pulling my closest hand from my pocket and letting her take it in hers. Her fingers were tiny. But nonetheless, her fingernails matched mine. Black. My parents didn't necessarily like this, but it wasn't my doing. Just because I do it, does not _mean_ I introduced this to my eight year old sister.

That has always been Phoebe. So bright and intelligent, a bit crazy, but in a way to make your stomach hurt and hurt and hurt from laughing so hard. She had these gappy teeth, and she was even missing her front ones. It was a bit funny, but she didn't like people laughing at her. She was in a gawky stage. Glasses already, troubled teeth, but she was still Phoebe. Classy, sophisticated, eight year old Phoebe.

The craziest part, even if it was what I might love most about her, is that she's _named_ after someone because my parents are incredibly nuts. She's named after Phoebe from _The Catcher in the Rye._ Y'know, Holden's younger sister? My middle name is actually Ackley, but forget I told you that.

Phoebe is just like her. Maybe she's faking the entire thing. I only think this because I made her read it last year, (she's a bookworm, actually, it wouldn't have made any difference) and she became more and more attached to me. Nonetheless, Pheebs is incredible. She's covering me when I get in shit, when I sneak out late, when I'm with Julia, everything. Phoebe is just great. She's my favourite. My number one.

Speaking of family, my parents are absolutely batty. My two moms. Yeah, you heard me correctly. So, I have to moms. My mom Harper, who is 43, is in love with mythology and books and all of that. She's an author now, but before that, she was a lawyer. My other mom, Chelsea, shares also the same interests. However, she is a retired business woman, and is always at home.

Phoebe understands. She understands everything. She just doesn't understand me, and why I have apparently no respect for _anyone_. That's what she told me, actually. The other fucking day. Also why I swear. I am certain she's just a clone right out of that damn book. It's like J.D Salinger created her or something. I don't really know how to explain it. Anyway, back to me. She doesn't get why I have a girlfriend, why she's also just as rude as me. Yeah, Jules is rude. But she's great. She's lovely to me, anyway.

What else doesn't Phoebe get? She doesn't get how I could love her. Julia parties sometimes, and sometimes it gets a little out of control. Like last week, I sort of, might have, kicked Phoebe out of her room so Julia could crash there while our parents were out... Yeah, I feel guilty, okay? But it's not like anyone expected for me to have a big, fat halo sticking over my head. Fuck that.

So yeah, Phoebe made me hand wash her linens and it took about what felt like years for the smell of cigarettes and beer to finally disappear. But she never let that go. And it's been a week! A goddamn week! Can you believe that? Honestly, Phoebe overreacts sometimes. But whatever.

So yeah, she's not exaclty Julia's number one fan, but whatever. It's not like they're dating. But Julia is totally in love with Phoebe. Every time she's over she just swoons over her and her little grin. I mean, Phoebe's awesome. Apparently she's got all the friends at school and she walks around like she owns the place. Julia totally admires her and adores her and all that. Phoebe doesn't buy the first of it! She just crosses her arms over her chest and scoffs like the little brat she sometimes is.

Anyway, so we're walking. And she's babbling. And I'm half-listening while she's whining and running around in circles. Her glasses fall, she picks them up, repeat and repeat.

"You want to get out of here?" I finally offer, feeling my heels ache from inside my shoes.

"Not exactly. How about we play a game?" She says, her smile reading pleased as punch. I sighed, and immediately her grin vanished.

"Fine, what kind of game?"

And then she began to explain. It's that kind of game where you say a word, and then your partner has to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. Example, I would say... Elephant, and she'd have to say Tomorrow. Then I'd say, ... Witch. Or something like that. Anyway. I'm pretty great at this, but so is she. It's freaky.

"Dog." I croaked, keeping an arm around her as we walked down a path.

"Glisten." She shot at me, I could feel her smirking. I looked down, and there was her toothless smirk. I _basically_ taught her that.

"Never." I repsonded.

"Reasoning." Another big word from her. God. I sort of just wanted to gawk at her, but I didn't. I mean, she was _just_ in the third grade... really?

"Grade..." I said, the word spawning from my previous thoughts.

"Epitome," Phoebe said, tucking a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. I gaped at her, my jaw wide open.

"Where did you even learn that?"

"Never mind that, Elijah. No go. No dilly-dallying."

I could have sworn she was taken right out of the pages of that stupid book.

"Uh... Yes?"

"Elijah! It ends with an _E_, not a _Y!_" She scolded me, looking up through her big glasses.

I sighed. "Oh- Eh- Right. Uh. How about we just go home?"

"Fine." She said, and so we did.

XXX

Hours later, the phone rang. After dinner even. Both of our parents went to bed, and I was definitely expecting it to be for them, maybe a publisher, a lawyer, something. I picked it up and a very high voice greeted me on the other end.

"Hi." I said back.

"Is Phoebe there please? Can I talk to her please?" It was a young boy. I held back my soft laughter and I called for her. She came thumping down the hallway, her blue dress and white tights looking the least bit graceful as she stormed around.

"Give me the phone, Elijah." Her eyes were dead serious on me as I lifted the phone. She started jumping at the cord.

I put the phone up to my mouth and snickered. "Oh, Phoebe's uh- in the washroom, I-I don't know how long she'll-" And then she scratched at me, when I finally let the phone drop against the wall. Phoebe grabbed it and pushed me away.

"Hello?" She said, her voice calm.

I laughed for what seemed like ever and had to eventually grab my sides from the pain.

"Oooo, it's a _boy_." I cooed in the background.

"Hi, Uh. I'll just- you know, now isn't a good time," She cringed, I was totally bothering her. But her reaction was worth it.

I grabbed the phone from her and as she was saying goodbye I slammed it back in it's dock.

"Want to play a video game?"

"Only if I can choose."

"You know it, Pheebs."

The End.

**Author's Note: You might notice that I'm just doing oneshots now and then. I need some good ideas before I can start writing a chaptered fanfiction. Anyway. Here you go! 3 Hope you enjoyed this. :)**


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